Worker says ‘standing desk’ banished his back pain

Health app designer Arshad Chowdhury has improved his health and changed his life by making one simple change to his daily routine: instead of sitting down at a desk, he now stands up to work.

The 37-year-old New Yorker made the change two years ago when he realised sitting down at the computer for so long was bad for his health.

He decided to monitor himself to see if he benefited from the change in position. Before he started his experiment, he thought he might develop knee, foot, or back pain. He also worried he would tire himself out and stop concentrating as well.

However, Chowdhury discovered quite the opposite. His posture improved, his shoulders and neck no longer hunch forward, his legs have become visibly toned and his back pain has completely gone. He believes he burns 500 extra calories a day just by standing up.

The only negative result of his experiment is that sitting down for more than two hours now is mildly uncomfortable for him.

Some of his co-workers were so impressed with the results that they started standing up to work, too.

With growing evidence to show sitting down is doing us serious damage, it seems standing desks could become a staple part of office work in the future.

An increasing amount of research has shown that we spend too much time sitting down and not enough time moving.

As well as the usual advice on diet and exercise, slimming company Weight Watchers now advocates standing up to boost weight loss.

According to the company’s research, nearly 70% of us sit down for 20 hours a day.

Dr Stuart Biddle, Professor of Physical Activity & Health at Loughborough University said: “Even if you exercise for at least 30 minutes most days, you are still storing up health problems from being sedentary too much. The message is clear – move more and sit less.”

While standing up and moving around is vital for physical health, there are some therapies designed to help with suppleness and flexibility. Yoga Therapy can help fight against the effects of bad posture, while Massage Therapy can release tension and help with posture.